from Auburn Avenue Presbyterian Church

Apostasy and Assurance

Are apostasy and assurance mutually exclusive? Some seem to think so. But let’s consider this a bit:

No reformed man would ever say that a man who is “saved” today will be safe forever no matter what. Rather we say, “your sins are forgiven, now, walk faithfully, glorify the Lord, love and worship Him all your days.” And we say this without qualification, because it is true.

The implication of this is important, however. If someone walked into my study and declared, “Hey Wilkins guess what? I’ve decided, based upon God’s promises, that I can live as I please and believe anything I want and still go to heaven when I die! And I don’t have to worry about anything you or anybody else says or does to me!” If anyone said this to us, we’d respond by telling him in no uncertain terms that he’s lost and deceived and headed for eternal condemnation. And if he says that we’re making God a liar and an “Indian-giver,” we’d say, “Nope, the promises of God are ‘Yea’ and ‘Amen’ in Christ. But when you deny Him, ignore His will, and walk as His enemy, you forfeit all interest in those promises and call down God’s judgment upon yourself.”

That’s a classic Reformed response.

And this response in no way undermines assurance (just as it in no way impugns God’s faithfulness to His promises). Assurance is founded upon the fact that all who believe can know for certain that they are beloved of God, forgiven of their sins, and the recipient of all His promises and thus, may rest in peace with sure and certain confidence.

Assurance is based upon the fact that Jesus promises He will not cast us off arbitrarily or forsake us for no reason. Assurance is based upon the fact that no man and no circumstance can rip us out of Christ’s hand. Indeed, nothing outside of me can separate me from the love of Christ Jesus.

But assurance is not based upon a belief that eternal life is mine no matter what I do or believe. Assurance is only for those who believe.

The rebel, the unbelieving skeptic, the self-conscious hypocrite, the one who crucifies Christ afresh and tramples upon the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, the one who despises the baptism that saved him, will surely perish – and has no right to any assurance of salvation.

This is the common position of everybody who is Reformed.

And that reality does nothing to undermine true, legitimate, biblical assurance.

One of the problems in this discussion is the view that some have of apostasy. We sometimes speak of apostasy as if it is something that comes upon a man like a flu virus. Here’s a guy who loved Jesus and was faithful when he went to bed on July 28 but then, for no apparent reason, he woke up on July 29 and was an unbeliever who didn’t love Jesus any more and yet, couldn’t tell you why. Apparently, the Spirit just decided to up and leave him and allow him to return to his “unregenerate” state.

This is like the modern view of love which views love as an arbitrary emotion that falls upon us and leaves us without reason or rhyme. So that men claim simply to have fallen “out of love” with their wives for no specific reason whatsoever. They just woke up one morning and their love had fled, never to come home again. We all know this to be bogus and if a man says this, we know he’s lying. Love doesn’t just vanish, it dies – and there’s always a cause of death.

In the same way apostasy doesn’t “just happen.” Apostasy is the result of an extended period of compromise, disobedience, and unbelief that culminates in a denial of Christ not to be repented of. In other words, no one apostatizes, unless he wants to and is willing to work at it. And therefore apostasy catches no one by surprise. It’s the result of an intentional, purposeful, and persistent choice to depart from Jesus and the faith.

In other words, apostasy is something that a person who is sincerely loving Jesus and seeking to be faithful to Him need never fear.

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7 Responses

Wise words Steve and said with your usual balance!
One thing I would add that I often remind myself and others of is that ‘no created thing’ in Romans eight thankfully includes me as a child of Adam! Whenever we doubt the security of our salvation we must cry with the father in the Gospels, “I believe, help Thou my unbelief!” Or as Paul reminded young Timothy…
II Timothy 2: “11 This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, We shall also live with Him. 12 If we endure, We shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. 13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself. 14 Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 15 Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

John, true in a sense, but it’s clear that the apostate is one who denies Christ, refuses to abide in Him, tramples upon the blood of the covenant, despises the grace of God and turns his back on it. I’m responsible (by the grace of God) to love, believe, to refuse to deny Him, when I’m faithless to cry out to Him, etc. The spirit of the weak in faith is one of desiring the mercies of God and treasuring and prizing His goodness and never wanting to lose it or be without it. The apostate is the opposite of this. And if a guy came to you and said that he hated Jesus and now refuses to acknowledge Him as Lord and Savior – you’d tell him that he’s headed for condemnation unless he repents of his hatred and rebellion. And you’d be right (as usual!).

Steve,
Thank you, I may have been someone you were talking about (smile), and I wanted to say that I cannot argue at all on any point set forth here. But it cuts both ways.– I may not say as well, to someone in my study that they definitely are not saved because they are antinomian ? I’d never say a man is saved ‘no matter what’, and I’d never say a man is lost ‘no matter what’- But the point I am making is that even though in an objective sense it is clear sailing –understanding assurance in light of faithfulness, yet, the bible still does mention election of individuals, unless you are opting to take every single election passage in the scriptures and make them general or principled or referring to the elect at large?
Both sides of this coin always need to be nuanced and the reformed view ( as I am trying to understand it) stays within that tension and doesn’t minimize it in either direction.
So, my point is that we may be talking past each other a bit here (like that never happens). Can you can say for sure a person is saved or lost? I tend to keep it in the context of the ‘unless”. Unless you repent you will perish or unless you harden your heart you will be saved.
I think that is what you are saying, but again, it goes both ways.
Thanks again,
Terry Tollefson

Terry, of course, God is absolutely sovereign and has foreordained a multitude no man can number for eternal salvation. Everyone acknowledges this. But I don’t believe that Paul and Peter are referring to this decree when they refer to “the elect” in the epistles. It seems clear to me that they’re referring to every baptized member of the church (those who are united to the Elect One). And to these, I can speak just as Paul and Peter speak, by virtue of their union with Christ, they are heirs to all the promises, beloved of the Father, joint heirs with Jesus, etc. In Christ, they have all things. Obviously, I don’t know the decrees of God for these individuals, but that’s not to govern my relationship or attitude toward them. I can’t say that they will all, head-for-head, “endure” or “abide” in Him throughout their days, but I know what is sure and certain for them in Christ Jesus. And so yes, I agree with you, I can say to the unbelieving, “Unless you repent you will perish” and I can say to the believing, “Don’t allow your heart to be hardened, love the Lord Jesus, confess your sins, trust and obey, rest in His infallible faithfulness and there is nothing in heaven or on the earth that can harm you. Don’t let your heart be troubled, believe in Jesus and His infallible word.”

Steve,
I am tracking completely, and at presbytery I’ll tell you an amazing story of the conversion of two of four brothers in their mid to late 60’s who have lived together, way out in the boonies all their lives. True mountain men. Louise L’More would have loved to talked to them. Maybe by then it will be all four who have come into the kingdom. It really is an amazing story.. They are dropping like flies. Like we say around here, “Let’s knock’m alive!”

Thank you. When christian community is eclipsed by dark cultural postmodernism,even Christians get pulled into the whrilwind of darkness. My prayer and ask for your prayers God keeps me and hold me in these dark days……I have grieved the HolySpirit…..and this is fearful..the church remains impotent indeed……